Who got a new gig this week? Check out this week’s travel industry movers & shakers below or click here to check out last week’s new appointments.
1. Meet… CT Partners’ General Managers – Supplier Relations
CT Partners has announced the appointment of Nicole Hague as its new General Manager – Supplier Relations. Hague will join CT Partners executive management team in November and will meet with CT Partners’ members at their national conference in Bangkok in late October.
According to Grant Wilson, Chairman of CT Partners: “Nicole’s appointment comes at an exciting time as CT Partners posts record growth over the past 12 months including over $300m in additional volume from new members. We are privileged to have Nicole join CT Partners, she has a wealth of industry experience including supplier contracting and a deep understanding of the dynamics of the industry.”
Hague is presently with Travelport Worldwide based in Singapore where she is Commercial Director Air Commerce responsible for Travelport’s relationships with airlines on the Indian Subcontinent and the Philippines. Prior to this assignment she was in Sydney as Commercial Manager Global Distribution Sales & Services – Pacific. Hague has extensive industry knowledge having previously held management roles with Helloworld and Harvey World Travel.
With over 20 years in the travel industry in a number of management roles, Hague brings valuable knowledge and experience to her new role and has expressed her excitement to be joining the CT Partners team. “I look forward to the challenge of streamlining and enhancing supplier relations and raising the service level with the goal of meeting and exceeding both members and suppliers’ expectations. I know many of the members from the early days of CT Partners and I look forward to re-establishing those relationships and forming new ones with those who have recently joined” Hague said.
2. Meet… Tourism Fiji’s new PR Manager for Australia
Tourism Fiji has announced the appointment of Ms Sarah-Louise Robinson as Public Relations Manager – Australia, commencing this week.
Announcing the appointment, Tourism Fiji Regional Manager – Australia, Hal Caldwell said this newly-created role underlines the importance of Australian media relationships to Tourism Fiji, with Australia continuing to serve as Fiji’s biggest market for tourism.
“We’re delighted to be welcoming Sarah-Louise to this important role. Working in consultation with Verve PR and other partners primarily via our Sydney office, Sarah-Louise will play a pivotal role in helping to satisfy the Australian media’s appetite for Tourism Fiji news. With a breadth of experience representing tourism and travel brands, we’re confident Sarah-Louise will lead a strong PR strategy for Tourism Fiji within our biggest market,” said Mr Caldwell.
With almost two decades of experience in PR and Communications roles across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, Sarah-Louise most recently served as Senior Marketing Communications Manager for Dubai Tourism, delivering creative campaigns across ANZ.
An IPRA (International Public Relations Association) Golden World award-winner in the category of Travel and Tourism, Sarah-Louise has also represented Tourism Malaysia, Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines, Egypt Tourism and other organisations – working both in-house and in external agency roles.
“Fiji holds a special place in the hearts of many Aussies. I am honoured to be joining the Tourism Fiji team and I am excited to lead some exciting initiatives within the Australian media market. Stay tuned!” said Ms Robinson.
3. Meet… CINZ’s new Marketing & Events Co-ordinator
Lauren Newbery has been appointed Marketing and Events Coordinator for Conventions and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) based in Auckland.
Previously she was Events Coordinator at the New Zealand Planning Institute, organising professional development events and large conferences.
Originally from the United Kingdom, Lauren worked on the Annual STEMtech Conference and Showcase, the largest science and technology conference in the UK. She has a background in theatre performance and management.
CINZ Events and Marketing Director, Heather Cornish says CINZ is delighted to add Lauren’s talents to the team.
“Lauren brings valuable experience with both event management and marketing, as well as real enthusiasm and drive.”
Lauren takes over the role previously held by Olivia Lynch, who has moved to Wellington to take up a new position with Conference Innovators.
4. Meet… American Express Global Business Travel’s new Chief Information & Technology Officer
American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has appointed David Thompson as its new Chief Information and Technology Officer (CITO). He formally assumes the role later this year and will be based in Phoenix, Arizona.
David joins from Western Union, a global financial services company, where he was Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Global Operations. In that role, he oversaw the company’s IT strategy, operations, information security, and product development. David will join the American Express GBT operating committee and report to Chief Executive Officer, Doug Anderson.
Anderson said: “Technology and innovation are central to our business. It is crucial, therefore, to have someone with David’s experience and expertise driving our strategy. I am delighted to welcome him to the organisation.”
In his new role, David will be responsible for enterprise technology, application development, IT operations and data systems, information security and the product development teams.
Thompson said: “GBT’s significant investment in technology is guided by a clear strategic vision. This is an exciting time to be joining the organisation, and I look forward to working with Doug and the team.”
Previously, David served as Chief Technology and Information Officer at leading technology companies Symantec, Oracle and PeopleSoft. He started his career as an Intelligence Systems Officer in the U.S. Air Force, prior to joining Mitre Corporation as an HR systems manager. He serves on the board of directors for CoreSite Realty Corp a leading data center and interconnection provider.
5. Meet P&O Cruises’ new Head of Sales & Marketing
P&O Cruises has announced the appointment of Ryan Taibel to Vice President Sales and Marketing Australia and New Zealand as the brand continues to expand its modern cruise holiday offering and grow the new-to-cruise segment.
Taibel will head up the Sales, Marketing and Digital teams which are responsible for brand strategy and positioning, consumer and trade advertising, strategic partnerships and sponsorships, web and loyalty marketing, research, brand development and communication.
Taibel joined Carnival Australia in 2010 and previously held the role of Sales Director for P&O Cruises where he led the trade sales and marketing activity across the Australian and New Zealand markets.
P&O Cruises President Sture Myrmell said the new appointment came at an exciting time for the brand which recently announced it will be at the leading edge of a global revolution in the cruise experience.
“Taibel’s well-deserved promotion follows the arrival of our fifth and largest ship in the fleet, Pacific Explorer, and coincides with news that we will welcome Australia’s first Ocean Medallion-enabled ship, Golden Princess, to the brand in 2020,” he said.
“Under Taibel’s lead, P&O’s sales and marketing division has an integral role to play in continuing to evolve the cruise holiday offering and share the unique story of Australia and New Zealand’s only home-ported cruise brand with trade and consumers.”